Previous studies highlight saline-alkali soil remediation via earthworm composting with deep tillage, effectively reducing salinity/sodium while enhancing yield and organic carbon retention. For maize adaptability in arid regions, this study (2022-2023) evaluated two tillage methods-rotary tillage (R) and rotary tillage + subsoiling (R+S), combined with organic substitution treatments (P-1, P-2, P-3) versus inorganic fertilizers (CK). Key findings: (1) R+S P-1 maximized stress resilience: SOD, POD, and PRO levels surpassed CK by 41.89%, 56.95%, and 15.91%, respectively, and exceeded R P-1 by 40.21%, 21.22%, and 16.94%, respectively. MDA content decreased by 38.68% (vs. CK) and 11.37% (vs. R P-1). Photosynthetically, R+S P-1 elevated the net photosynthetic rate (Pn) by 23.73% (CK) and 6.01% (R P-1), while reducing transpiration rate (Tr) by 24.06% and 11.14%, respectively. (2) R+S P-1 yielded 13,663.79 kg/ha, outperforming P-2, P-3, CK, and R P-1 by 6.39%, 7.90%, 14.67%, and 2.53%, respectively. (3) At the grain-filling stage, SOD, POD, PRO, Pn, kernel number, ear length, and 100-grain weight strongly correlated with yield (p < 0.01), whereas MDA, Tr, and bald tip length exhibited negative correlations. The integration of R+S tillage with P-1 organic substitution significantly enhanced stress enzyme activity, photosynthetic efficiency, and yield, establishing it as an optimal green cultivation strategy for spring maize in arid regions.